Recycling Is For Everyone
Oct 7, 2011 Recycling
I was wandering around on Zazzle and saw this shirt, and just had to share. Got a quick laugh out of me.
Tags: jawas
Is Recycling Only About the Environment?
Aug 4, 2010 Recycling
Recycling is a major part of living a more eco friendly lifestyle. It’s a part many people focus on, and something that has become easier to do in many communities. Some may only offer recycling for the basics, such as metal, glass and paper, while others accept a wide range of plastics as well.
But recycling isn’t all about the environment. It has other benefits, depending on what’s being recycled.
Manufacturing Can Benefit
Some metals are much cheaper to recycle than they are to use fresh from the mine. The EPA says recycling aluminum saves 92% of the energy it takes to process it from bauxite ore. The demand for aluminum is high, as it is used in common products such as soda cans or siding on houses.
Recycling Creates Jobs
If you want a recycling program, people are going to have to work at the recycling center. That’s jobs for people getting products ready for recycling, transporting recyclable and recycled materials and so forth.
Recycling takes more people to do the work than similar jobs at landfills. Despite that, many kinds of recycling are economically feasible enough that this still saves money over dumping it all in the landfill.
Recycling Saves Money
Communities have realized that it’s worthwhile to have recycling available. Businesses have realized that it’s worth their time to recycle. There’s a good reason for that. They save money.
A good recycling program costs less than many other waste disposal options. The products being recycled can be sold, reducing the cost of the recycling program.
Landfills Benefit
Recycling can’t do away with landfills, but it can slow down the rate at which they are filled. Some areas of the United States are facing a shortage of available space for landfills. Other areas aren’t facing such problems, but it doesn’t hurt to slow down how fast we fill up landfills.
If local landfills are full, then states have to send their garbage elsewhere, increasing the costs to consumers. That’s significant to people living in areas where they have to send their garbage away.
Remember the Other Two Rs
Recycling has a lot of benefits, both to the environment and economically, but it’s not the only thing you should be considering. It’s more important to reduce your consumption and to reuse products when possible. These two actions are the most beneficial to the environment, and are pretty good for your personal finances as well.
Tags: environment, Recycling, why recycle
How Do You Figure Out What You Can Recycle?
Feb 5, 2010 Recycling
In some areas recycling is required. In others, it’s all but impossible due to a lack of facilities. How do you figure out what you can and cannot easily recycle in your area?
The simplest solution is to check with the company that handles garbage in your area. Many are also in charge of recycling too. If you’re lucky they’re already providing you with a bin for recyclables that you don’t even need to sort yourself. The information you need may even be on the company website.
Many are pretty picky. It’s not too uncommon for plastics recycling to be limited to #1 and #2 plastics in bottle form only. Others will take pretty much any kind of plastic.
Then there’s paper recycling. It’s generally not as restrictive as it used to be, but you do still have to be careful. Most won’t want food stained paper, paper towels or paper napkins. But it’s often not a problem to include glossy paper, envelopes with plastic windows or staples in with the paper.
Glass recycling can be a bit interesting. Glass jars are fine. Most companies ask that you not put in broken glass of any kind. They also generally don’t take light bulbs, glass from dishes, mirrors or windows.
If you have a local recycling company that picks up at your house but is a bit pickier than you’d like, it can pay to check out options for places you can bring your recyclables. Sometimes they’ll be within a reasonable driving distance. Just search for your area and include the word “recycling” and see if anything good comes up.
If the recycling companies don’t have websites, you’ll just have to call them to find out if you can bring anything to them and what they will take.
In general, recycling companies prefer that glass and plastic be rinsed. You probably don’t need to scrub things out, but a quick rinse isn’t a bad idea. It also means your indoor recycle bin won’t get dirty so quickly even if you don’t line it with a bag.
But don’t just think of the everyday little things. You can recycle big things and things you don’t often dispose of too. Just be picky about how you go about it.
Some electronics can be recycled. Be picky, as too many companies aren’t all that honest about how they recycle electronics. Sometimes they’re just shipped off to other countries, where the recycling is done in a rather hazardous and polluting manner. Check the e-Stewards website for reputable electronics recycling. You may even be able to mail your electronics in.
For cell phones that still work, consider donating it instead. There are companies that will send old cell phones to people in developing countries or domestic violence victims.
Compact fluorescent bulbs don’t belong in the trash when they burn out. They have mercury and really aren’t good for the landfill. But IKEA, Home Depot and some other stores may take them in. Check with your nearest location.
Don’t forget the reuse option, of course. Anything that can be reasonably reused consider offering up on Freecycle or donating to a local charity. That’s even better than recycling!
Tags: electronics, freecycle, Recycling
Check Local Recycling Laws – Green Step By Step
Jan 18, 2010 Green Step By Step, Recycling
One of the challenges of recycling is knowing exactly what you can and cannot recycle. It varies a good bit from place to place. So many places take only plastics #1 and #2 in bottle shape only, while others take just about the whole spectrum. If you don’t know you could be throwing out recyclable plastics or dropping in things that mess up the recycling routine.
In many regions the recycling company has a website you can check. It may be on your bill from the disposal company. If not, find them using your favorite search engine. Smart companies will list on their websites what they do and do not take.
Companies can be picky about the type of plastic. They can be picky about how clean your glass and plastic are before recycling. You may need to sort, although you probably know that one already by the kinds of bins you deal with. Some are more or less restrictive on the kinds of paper you can send in and if they accept shredded paper.
Use Those Old Cereal Boxes
Jan 12, 2010 Eco Friendly Parenting, Recycling
Many families go through cereal boxes quite regularly. The good part is that they’re recyclable, but what if you could add a step before recycling your cereal boxes?
Depending on the ages of your kids, you might be able too.
A simple idea is to just cut the boxes up and let the kids paint or draw on the plain insides. Kids don’t have to have fresh paper for that, and sometimes a firmer surface is nice to have.
Boxes can also be cut up into simple puzzles. This is nice for kids who are just starting to enjoy puzzles but aren’t up for anything too complex yet. They probably know pretty well what the end result should look like.
You can also cut out the larger letters for children who are just learning their letters or how to form words. Playing with the letters can be much less frustrating than having to write the word when first trying to figure out how to make a word.
And of course, you can leave the box whole to wrap appropriately sized gifts.
The nice part about these ideas is that in many cases you can still recycle the boxes after the kids are done with them. You’re just making a little more use out of them first.
Tags: cereal boxes, crafts, puzzles, reuse
